Electrical discharge lamps, in particular high intensity discharge (HID) lamps are widely used today, e. g. in vehicle headlights. While first generations of such automotive HID lamps comprised a lamp base only for mechanical mounting and electrical contacting of a burner, currently developed lamps include circuitry for operation and/or ignition of the burner integrated within the lamp base.
The present invention deals with providing electrical contacts within the lamp base to components of an operating circuit.
U.S. 2006/0119282 A1 describes a high-pressure discharge lamp having a lamp base with an integrated starting apparatus. An electromagnetic shield is provided, which is connected to the ground reference potential of an operating device. The electromagnetic shield is provided as a metal housing which surrounds the lamp base, and has an aperture for a discharge vessel and for electrical connection of the lamp. The metal housing is made from aluminum or from an aluminum/magnesium alloy, or from a galvanized steel sheet. Inside, a lead frame is provided with electrical components of the starting apparatus, which comprises metallic webs embedded in electrically insulating plastic. A metallic tongue protrudes from the lead frame and out of the interior of the lamp base. In the mounted state, the metallic tongue of the metal web is in electrical and mechanical contact with a wall part of the metal housing. The metallic web, in a similar manner to a leaf spring, bears against the metal housing with a clamping fit.